"Reach for the Sky Reach for the Sky is a 1956 British biographical film about aviator Douglas Bader, based on the 1954 biography of the same name by Paul Brickhill. The film stars Kenneth More and was directed by Lewis Gilbert. It won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film of 1956. The film's composer John Addison was Bader's brother-in-law. In 1928, Douglas Bader joins the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a cadet. Despite a friendly reprimand from Air Vice-Marshal Halahan for his disregard for service discipline and flight rules, he successfully completes his training and is posted to No."
"agreed to by the Germans to drop an artificial leg to Douglas Bader. Turner and Bader were good friends, despite a rocky start when Bader took over command of the Canadian pilots who had survived the Battle of France. Bader won over Turner and the other Canadians by generously replacing their kit they had lost in France from his personal stores, not to mention by demonstrating his flying skills. Turner was portrayed by Lee Patterson in ""Reach for the Sky"", the 1956 film biography of Douglas Bader. Stan Turner (RAF officer) Percival Stanley 'Stan' Turner, (3 September 1913 – 23"
"serving on the staff of the Directorate of Personal Services. Halahan was portrayed by Walter Hudd in the 1956 film ""Reach for the Sky"" as the Cranwell commandant who gives a friendly reprimand to young Douglas Bader for his disregard for service discipline and flight rules. Despite that Bader successfully completed his training and was posted to No. 23 Squadron at RAF Kenley before he famously lost his legs. Frederick Halahan Air Vice Marshal Frederick Crosby Halahan, (27 May 1880 – 17 October 1965) was a gunnery officer in the Royal Navy during the early years of the 20th century"
"Reach for the Sky (2001 film) Reach for the Sky is a 2001 Israeli documentary film which follows a group of young Israelis as they struggle to become pilots in their nation's army. But after all that they go through, only some will enjoy the honor of wearing those wings. The rest will be ordinary soldiers. After the six days are over, they sit the young soldiers down, and in a frank tone the leading officer reads off everyone’s names, telling them bluntly whether they passed or failed. Pilots in the Israeli army are so highly esteemed that young men"
"prominent German fighter ace. Despite his disability, Bader made a number of escape attempts and was eventually sent to the prisoner of war camp at Colditz Castle. He remained there until April 1945 when the camp was liberated by the First United States Army. Bader left the RAF permanently in February 1946 and resumed his career in the oil industry. During the 1950s, a book and a film, ""Reach for the Sky"", chronicled his life and RAF career to the end of the Second World War. Bader campaigned for the disabled and in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1976 was appointed"
"Reach for Glory Reach for Glory is a 1962 British film adaptation of John Rae's 1961 novel, ""The Custard Boys"", directed by Philip Leacock. It received a United Nations Award. A group of boys, evacuated during World War II from London to a coastal town, form a gang and play war games. Too young to fight in the war and afraid it will be over by the time they come of age, the group members, who are also in the school's Army Cadet Force initiate a battle with the local teenagers. Curlew, a local youth, invites an Austrian Jewish refugee"
"Werra crossed the border into Mexico. Travelling by way of Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Spain, he reached Berlin on 18 April 1941. On 25 October of the same year, while on patrol, his plane was seen to dive into the sea. No trace of von Werra was found. Kenneth More says he was approached to play the lead role but turned it down as he had just played another real-life POW, Douglas Bader in ""Reach for the Sky"" (1956). John David, head of the Rank organisation, wanted Dirk Bogarde. Director Roy Baker insisted on a German. O.W. Fischer was reportedly"
"also served as a technical advisor to the film, ""Battle of Britain"". Bader travelled to every major country outside the Communist world, becoming internationally famous and a popular after-dinner speaker on aviation matters. In 1975 he spoke at the funeral of Air Chief Marshal Keith Park. When the film ""Reach for the Sky"" was released, people associated Bader with the quiet and amiable personality of actor Kenneth More, who played Bader. Bader recognised that the producers had deleted all those habits he displayed when on operations, particularly his prolific use of bad language. Bader once said, ""[they] still think [I'm]"
"Paul Brickhill Paul Chester Jerome Brickhill (20 December 191623 April 1991) was an Australian fighter pilot, prisoner of war and author who wrote ""The Great Escape"", ""The Dam Busters"", and ""Reach for the Sky"". Brickhill was born in Melbourne, Australia to journalist George Russell Brickhill (26 January 1879 to 1964) and Izitella Victoria Brickhill (nee Bradshaw). He was the third son of the couple's five children, the others being Russell (1913 - ), Ayde Geoffrey (1914 - ), Lloyd (1918 - ) and Clive (1923 - ). When Brickhill was 11 the family moved to Sydney where he was educated"
"""Reach for the Sky"". Some 172,000 copies were sold in the first few months alone. The initial print run of 300,000 quickly sold out, as the biography became the biggest-selling hardback in post-war Britain. The book was subsequently adapted for the screen and released in 1956 as feature film. Starring Kenneth More as Bader, it topped the box office in Britain that year. Brickhill spent the rest of his life working on several unfinished film screenplays, novels and biographies, but was never able to repeat his successes of 1949 to 1954. In 1969 he returned to live permanently in Australia."
"retiring from service in 1950. He acted as technical adviser for the films ""Reach for the Sky"" and ""The Great Escape"". The book ""Wings Day"" by Sydney Smith (Squadron Leader Eric Sydney-Smith RAF) is an account of Day's exploits as a prisoner of war. Sydney-Smith was also a POW and was held with Day for several years. Day also heavily features in the biography of Douglas Bader ""Reach for the Sky"" by Paul Brickhill and ""The Great Escape"", also by Brickhill. He was the subject of ""This Is Your Life"" in November 1961. Married to Margo, Day lived mainly in"
"continued writing books and articles, and giving public talks. He died in 1982 at the age of 74. Arkady and Nikolai Kamanin (played by Alexander Porokhovshchikov) are the characters of a 1978 Soviet film, ""Then You Will See the Sky"" (""И ты увидишь небо""). Nikolai Kamanin Nikolai Petrovich Kamanin () (18 October 1908 - 11 March 1982) was a Soviet aviator, awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1934 for the rescue of SS Chelyuskin crew from an improvised airfield on the frozen surface of the Chukchi Sea near Kolyuchin Island. In World War II he successfully"
"Reaching for the Sun Reaching for the Sun is a 1941 American comedy film directed by William A. Wellman and written by W.L. River. The film stars Joel McCrea, Ellen Drew, Eddie Bracken, Albert Dekker, Billy Gilbert, George Chandler and Bodil Ann Rosing. The film was released on May 2, 1941, by Paramount Pictures. Backwoods boy Russ Elliott goes to the big city of Detroit, hoping to earn enough money to buy an outboard motor for his boat. He meets waitress Rita at a diner, after which, In the unemployment line, he befriends Benny Hogan as both land jobs on"
"Reaching for the Moon (1917 film) Reaching for the Moon is a 1917 American silent adventure film directed by John Emerson and written by John Emerson, Joseph Henabery, and Anita Loos. The film stars Douglas Fairbanks, Eileen Percy, Richard Henry Cummings, Millard Webb, Eugene Ormonde, and Frank Campeau. The film was released on November 17, 1917, by Paramount Pictures. It has been released on DVD. Fairbanks later starred in a 1930 film of the same name that is unrelated to the 1917 film. As described in a film magazine, Alexis Caesar Napoleon Brown (Fairbanks) learns that his mother was a"
"Maud Vancourt, the daughter of an officer in the Indian Army, on 16 February 1918; they had one son, Derek. Following the death of his first wife, he married Muriel Whiting on 25 September 1951; they had no children. In the 1956 film ""Reach for the Sky"", Dowding was played by Charles Carson. In the 1969 film ""Battle of Britain"", Dowding was played by Laurence Olivier. Olivier had himself served as a pilot in the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm during World War II. During filming, Dowding (then aged 86 and in a wheelchair) met Olivier. Olivier told Dowding he"
"Percy Charles Pickard Group Captain Percy Charles ""Pick"" Pickard, (16 May 1915 – 18 February 1944) was an officer in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He served as a pilot and commander. He was the first officer of the RAF awarded the DSO with two bars in the Second World War. He flew over a hundred sorties and distinguished himself in a variety of operations requiring coolness under fire. In 1941 he participated in the making of the 1941 wartime film ""Target for To-night"", which made him a public figure in England. He led the squadron"
"leg. Rita agrees to make him happy by returning to his woodland home and boat, with Benny tagging along. Reaching for the Sun Reaching for the Sun is a 1941 American comedy film directed by William A. Wellman and written by W.L. River. The film stars Joel McCrea, Ellen Drew, Eddie Bracken, Albert Dekker, Billy Gilbert, George Chandler and Bodil Ann Rosing. The film was released on May 2, 1941, by Paramount Pictures. Backwoods boy Russ Elliott goes to the big city of Detroit, hoping to earn enough money to buy an outboard motor for his boat. He meets waitress"
"first Battle of Britain anniversary flypast. ""The formation was led by 247 Squadron in their new Vampire fighters, the first time the public had seen the aircraft."" This flypast was apparently led by Douglas Bader (RAF hero commemorated and portrayed by Kenneth More in the film ""Reach For the Sky."") An attender recalls a victory parade in London on 8 June 1946 featuring two flypasts, one during the day and one at night. Scores of aircraft, of many kinds, took part. The 50th and 60th anniversaries of World War II were commemorated with large flypasts. On 15 September 1990, 168"
"John C. Morgan John Cary ""Red"" Morgan (August 24, 1914 – January 17, 1991) was a United States Army Air Forces pilot in World War II who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during a 1943 bombing run over Germany, which also inspired the character of 2nd Lieutenant Jesse Bishop in the novel and film ""Twelve O'Clock High"". Born August 24, 1914, in Vernon, Texas, son of attorney Samuel A. Morgan Sr. and Verna Johnson Morgan, Morgan graduated from a military school in 1931 and then attended several colleges, including Amarillo College, New Mexico Military Institute, West Texas"
"Dean Hess Dean Elmer Hess (December 6, 1917 – March 2, 2015) was an American minister and United States Air Force colonel who was involved in the so-called ""Kiddy Car Airlift,"" the documented rescue of 950 orphans and 80 orphanage staff from the path of the Chinese advance during the Korean War on December 20, 1950. He is the subject of the autobiography ""Battle Hymn"", published in 1956, which later served the basis for the 1957 film of the same name, where he was played by Rock Hudson. Hess was born in 1917. He attended Marietta College, Ohio, graduating in"
"as Mrs. Alexis Caesar Napoleon Brown and a two-year old to pass his time with. Reaching for the Moon (1917 film) Reaching for the Moon is a 1917 American silent adventure film directed by John Emerson and written by John Emerson, Joseph Henabery, and Anita Loos. The film stars Douglas Fairbanks, Eileen Percy, Richard Henry Cummings, Millard Webb, Eugene Ormonde, and Frank Campeau. The film was released on November 17, 1917, by Paramount Pictures. It has been released on DVD. Fairbanks later starred in a 1930 film of the same name that is unrelated to the 1917 film. As described"
"Reaching for the Skies Reaching for the Skies was an aviation documentary TV series made by BBC Pebble Mill (with John Gau Productions) in association with CBS Fox. The first episode was transmitted in the United Kingdom on 12 September 1988 and in the US in 1989. Narrated by British actor Anthony Quayle, and by Robert Vaughn for its American and International releases, It was divided into 12 programs (each of around 55 minutes' duration). The series producer was Ivan Rendall. Music used was mainly sourced from KPM Musichouse. The series included many aerial sequences specifically filmed for the series,"
"and women are willing to subject themselves to days of torturous drills and exercises for a chance at flying planes. Reach For The Sky follows one group of young people as they suffer through never-ending runs and midnight push-ups to prove they’re tough enough to hack it in the Air Force. The film shows how a group of seemingly average high school graduates are molded into obedient soldiers, capable of enduring extreme physical pain. But, despite all their hard work, only some of them will become pilots. The rest will go home disappointed. Every grueling day is a test of"
"The aerodrome was used as a location in the following films: ""Angels One Five"" (1952) and ""Reach for the Sky"" (1956), the latter about Douglas Bader who was posted to RAF Kenley in 1930 No. 23 Squadron RAF shortly before his accident in 1931. Although few of the remaining buildings survive and the control tower was demolished after a fire in 1978 along with the remaining hangar, Kenley is thought to be the best preserved of all Second World War RAF fighter stations, with the runway still in its original configuration. English Heritage (in 2000) identified Kenley as ""The most"
"being driven through Chiswick, west London, on his way home. Among the many dignitaries and personalities at his funeral was Adolf Galland. Galland and Douglas Bader had shared a friendship that spanned more than 42 years since their first meeting in France. Although Galland was on a business trip to California, he made sure to attend the memorial service held for Bader at the St Clement Danes Church in the Strand. Peter Tory wrote in his ""London Diary"" newspaper column: A biography about Douglas Bader by Paul Brickhill, ""Reach for the Sky"", was published in 1954. Some 172,000 copies were"
"who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions in World War II. The Air Force aircraft fly at 1250 feet above the ground at an airspeed of about 130 knots. After the flight crew completes the pre-drop and slow-down checklists, soldiers rise out of their seats and move at the jumpmaster's direction to one of two paratroop doors (on each side of the aircraft). At ""green light"" one stick of soldiers exits the plane – jumpers continue to move to the door until the red light is illuminated. At that point the aircraft will begin its racetrack maneuver"
"in North Africa during the Second World War. A Bristol Blenheim IV, restored from a Bolingbroke IVT, appeared in the 1995 film ""Richard III"", an adaptation of Shakespeare's play directed by and starring Ian McKellen; who set the play in an imaginary 1930s England ruled by a fascist-style Monarch. A Bristol Bulldog is featured as the aeroplane crashed by Douglas Bader (Kenneth More) in the 1956 Biopic ""Reach for the Sky"" which resulted in Bader losing both legs. In the long-running British First World War comic strip ""Charley's War"", published in ""Battle Picture Weekly"" 1979–1986 and written by Pat Mills"
"and - I don't know why - I saluted him. Mikaati does not say his gunner hit the plane. The dedication and sacrifice of the Machal pilots, including Bob Vickman, are the subject of the recent movie ""Above and Beyond - The Untold True Story"". Bob Vickman Robert (Bob) Vickman (born November 21, 1921 in Hollywood, California, Missing in action since July 9, 1948) was an American pilot and also served as one of the first pilots in the Israeli Air Force. He gave his life in defense of the newly reborn Jewish State. Bob Vickman was the son of"
"his serious burns and crushed ribs, he carried and dragged the unconscious pilot through a curtain of enemy fire to within 10 feet of a hovering rescue helicopter before collapsing. Sfc. Zabitosky's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army. Fred Zabitosky Fred William Zabitosky (October 27, 1942 – January 18, 1996) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his actions in the"
"75 yards in an effort to regain his company, reaching the ditch in which his fellow aid man was lying. Lloyd C. Hawks Lloyd Cortez Hawks (January 13, 1911 – October 26, 1953) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II. Hawks joined the Army from Park Rapids, Minnesota in 1942, and by January 30, 1944 was serving as a private first class in the Medical Detachment of the 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. On that day, near Carano, Italy, he crawled"
"Battle Hymn (film) Battle Hymn (aka By Faith I Fly) is a 1957 Technicolor war film starring Rock Hudson as Colonel Dean E. Hess, a real-life United States Air Force fighter pilot in the Korean War. Hess's autobiography of the same name was published concurrently with the release of the film. He donated his profits from the film and the book to a network of orphanages he helped to establish. The film was directed by Douglas Sirk and produced by Ross Hunter and filmed in CinemaScope. Prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dean Hess (Rock Hudson) was a minister"
"still 2 miles from the objective. His speed would have enabled him to gain necessary altitude to parachute to safety, but this action would have resulted in his formation becoming disorganized and exposed to the enemy. Although a crash was inevitable, he courageously elected to continue leading the attack in his blazing plane. From a minimum altitude, the squadron made a devastating bombing and strafing attack on the target. The mission completed, Maj. Cheli instructed his wingman to lead the formation and crashed into the sea. Ralph Cheli Ralph Cheli (pronounced ""Kelly"" ; October 29, 1919—March 6, 1944) was a"
"tank is hit by a Panzerfaust. He soon dies while firing back at the Germans with Baker's M1911 pistol. Real-life personalities such as Lieutenant Colonel Robert G. Cole, awarded the Medal of Honor for leading a charge against a German position outside Carentan early on June 11, 1944, also appears, as does Col. S.L.A. Marshall, a famed military historian. Furthermore, Lt. Col. Patrick Cassidy, commander of the 1st Battalion, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, and Col. Howard R. Johnson, commander of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, are also found in the series in minor roles. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme"